Planting machine



June 4, 1935. L POLLl Er AL 2,003,390

' `PLNTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet l L OU'J'J Poll l5 mjamin v ?oll `June 4, 1935. I POLL ET A1. 2,003,390

' LANTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19,1934; '4 Sheets-Sheet 2 23 @1min P021 attorney June 4, 1935. Y 1 POLL |A| v 2,003,390

PLANTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 ulrw d liv wuentod: Wli/nessz/ ZOUJ'J Poll ,E mju/172.17, EDC/2l June 4, 1935.

' FOLLE-r AL PLANTING MACHINE Filed Feb. 19, 1934 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Bry'mzizz Pall. .3&3

' drm/M Patented June 4, 19.35

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Application Februari 19, 1034, seem No. '111,072l

'somma (ci. 111-3) The present invention relates to machines for setting plants in the ground andv packing the earth about their roots, being machines of the type shown in Patent No. 1,888,143, issued Nol l vember 15, 1932, to Louis Poll (one of the applicants herein) but improved thereover in certain respects including the following Aobjects of the present invention, viz.: to provide in such a machine plant holders carried by a'.- belt; improved plant holder units; improved means for "mount- 'ing-such units; improved means for releasably holding'the plants in such units; improved means. for setting the plants in a furrow; and any other Y Figure 1 is. an elevational left hand-side view of a planting machine;

Figure 2 is an elevational rear viewthereof; `Figure 3 is an elevationalJ rear view (enlarged) of middle portions of the same, rearward portions being broken away;

Figure-1 is an elevational left hand-side view of certain of said middle portions, `certain parts being sectioned on line 4-4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of parts oi.' the same; Figure-6 is an elevational left.handside view (further enlarged) ofcertain parts shown in Figure 4 with additional parts;

Figure 7 is a top plan view of' certain parts I shown in Figure 6, partially sectioned on line 1-1 of ,Figure 6; Figure 8 is an elevational rear view of certain parts shown in Figure 4 partially sectioned on line8-8ofFlgure4; Y -Y Figure 9 -is a view in perspective of a plant holder of the machine with a plant held'therein; lFigure 10 is an end -view thereof showing in section the plant seated therein; f Figure 1-1 is a like View of the holder but showing Athe plant seated and clamped therein;

Figure 12 is a view in' perspective of such a plant holder but illustrating a modified con-V struction thereof.

In these drawings is shown a machine for set-V ting smallplants, such. as onion andstrawberry A plants and the like, in a furrow and packin the `Aand a subfr'ame I pivotally mounted at 5 on` the'man frame so as to be raised andl lowered nseen in'Figure 3.. Y

relatively thereto tovary the planting depth or the plants, this subframe carrying the 'planting or setting mechanism. A vertical post compris-'- ing-parallel members C is carried by the sub-` frame,on which post are rotatably mounted ver- 5 tically spaced sprocket wheels 1, '8, 8 whose axes extend horizontally and transversely of the sub-frame.`V A carrier, the belt or sprocket chain Il, is Amounted on these wheels and may be tightened by turning the bolts Il journalled in 10 kbrackets on the post members 8 and threaded in the non-turning nuts I2 and .passing freely through the axle member Il on which' wheel 1 turns, springs Il between said nuts and-axle member serving to cushion thev downward move- 15 ment of said member. A

-A pair of earth-packing wheels I5 are disposed on the opposite sides of `the furrow I6 in which theplants are set which furrow is formed in the'forward travel of the machine by the 20 plow shoe l1 having opposite sides I8 with diverging upper portions I9. The spindle axles 2l of-Cthese packing wheels are inclined so that .the Vwheels"A sides are upwardly divergent as Each of said packingl wheels has a sprocket wheel 2| on which and on the sprocket wheels 22 on the rotatable axle 23 of the sprocket wheel S are carried sprocket chains 2l, soV said wheel 9 and the sprocket chain I0 are driven 3o in the direction indicated in Figures 1 and 4 by the rotation of the packing wheels I5 as 'the machine travels forwardly over l,the field.

Plant holders 25 are spacedly mounted on the chain or' carrier Iland extend outwardly there.- 35 from as particularly well seen in Figure 4. These holders are desirably mounted as detach- ,able units on the chain (for ready replacement or repairing) as by threaded bolts 26 passing therethrough and through arms 21 of some of .40 the links 28 of said' chain as shown in Figure 9, these bolts having nuts 29.'` Said plant holders comprise a, lower main part or arm .30 and an upper laterally-flexible spring arm or part 3|,

with ilexible ligaments32. 321 desirably elastic 45 extending between' anchorages 33 spaced in the longitudinal-direction of the'\maln arm' 30 and an anchorageor anchoragesl on the spring' arm 3l, such anchorages being desirably openings in said arms through which the ligaments 450 extend," `/The/main arm, has a bottom or ange l! and a side or flange 36 extending upwardly there' from in upwardly-diverging relation with the spring arm 3|fi1frs'aidspring arm's normal po- 55 of the plant 39 in whic einen prtieulany well seen in Figure 1o. This side 36 has a medial portion or rib 31 extending toward -the ligaments d/ forming a pocket or a seat portion .38- belo said middle portion adapted to receive and re easably hold the stalk position it is lightly clamped by the ligamen (in spanning relation with the side 36), when (as seen in Figure 11) the arm is sprung (as hereinafter explained) toward said side 36 of the main arm. The bottom flange 35 or side flange 36 adjacent thereto`r is provided with openings 40 for discharging.

dirt whichmay be carried into the holder with the plant, and the edge 4I of said* bottom flange extends outwardly from the ligaments (as shown in IFigures 10 and 11) to prevent abrasion or injury which might otherwise result to these ligaments in the movement of the holders along the cam as hereinafter explained.

The ligament 321 comprises an inner cord 322 like the ligaments 32 and a surrounding rubber tube 323 to prevent injury to the ngers of the operator while inserting the plant into the holder.,

As shown, these plant holders are so mounted on chain I0 that the ligaments are alternately toward the opposite sides of the machine; that,y

is, in one of the holders the ligaments are toward the right hand side of the machine and the ligaments of the next holder are toward the left hand side of the machine and so on, there being thus-two sets of holders.

This arrangement facilitates the insertion of plants into one set of holders by one operator, and into theother set by another operator, these operators sitting side by side on the rearwardlyfacing seat 42'; and it will be seen that by mounting the holders on the chain I0 instead of on a rotating disk or thelike (as in said Patent 1,888,143) a greater number of such holders are accessible at one time for 4inserting plants thereinto.

As the chain lo is driven vin the indicated direction the operator inserts a plant. (with its root outwardly)` between the relatively inclined side 36 of main arm 30 and the ligaments, and presses it downwardly below said sides middle portion or rib 31 and into the pocket or seat 38 where it is lightly pressed held positionby the ligaments as shown in Figure 10. As each plantholder is carried by the chainsv travel to a position wherein its spring arm 3| engages the upper end 43 of the curved plate or cam member 44 for one set of holders or 441 for the other set, this arm is thereby sprung laterally toward the main arm 36 thus lightly but sumciently land more firmly clamping the plant yieldingly in the holder as seen vin Figure-11 so that the plant may be more surelycarried between the opposite sides I9 oi.' the plowV shoe I1 and more accuratgly positioned vertically in the.

furrow I6. When the plant holder passes beyond the lower end 45 of said plate orcam member, the arm 3I springs back to normal position (Figure 10) thus releasing the plant'from such clamping engagement whereupon iti` is immediately planted or fixed firmly in the ground by the wheels I5 which pack the earth about its -root as indicated in Figure 3 and the furrow is thus closed.

These packing wheels I5 have peripheral'portions 48, 41 meeting at a sharp angle 48 (Figure '3) thus acting most eiliciently to close the furrow aooasao soil inwardly while the portions 46 press vthe same downwardly.

In Figure 12 a modified construction of the plant holder 251 is shown wherein the spring arm 3I1, being round is flexible and resilient in all lateral directions.

To set the plant sufficiently iirmly in the furrow so that it may not be disturbed or moved from its set position before the packing wheels I5 more firmly set it, a stream of water is discharged thereon through a conduit 49 leading from the tank 66. This pipe has a terminal valve indicated at 5I opened intermittently by a lever 52 connected by rod 53 with the valve which is pivoted at 54, this lever fulcrumed at 55 on the hand lever 58 being swung or tripped by an arm or extension 51 on the rotating shaft 58 of sprocket wheel 8.

Means are provided for raising and lowering the rod 62 fastened to the subframe 4 and the post 6, its short arm being pivoted at 63 to a link 64 pivoted at 65 to the bar 66 having a. parallel bar 61. When the long handle arm 68 of said bell crank lever is pressed forwardly far enough the bars 66, 61 are thereby raisedI sufficiently .to carry the lower end 69 of bar 10 pivoted at 1I on the bar 61 is raised to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4 so that said end rests on the ledge 'I2 of the main frame. -When the upper ann of the lever bar 10 is drawn rearwardly its lower end 69 is moved oifjof said ledge thus permitting the subframe to fall, the parts being held from rattling movement by the spring 13 pressing between the subframe and the bell crank lever 60.

Any means may be employed to travel the machine over the ground. In the shown construction the machine is horse drawn, the driver sitw Y ting on the rear seat 14.

The invention being intended tote pointed out inthe claims, is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawings or hereinbehaving an open pocket adapted to receive a plant; 4

a iiexible member secured at its ends to said arms respectively and adapted to span and close the mouth of the pocketA in one relative position of the arms to retain a plant placed lin the pocket; and means in the path of the carriers movement for springing the first-mentioned arm toward the pocket for closing the same and yieldingly holding said plant therein.

2.'In a planting machine: acarrier having a circuitous movement;.'a plurality of plant holders mounted in spaced relation on the carrier each plant holder comprising a pair of parallelly disposed arms extending at right angles to the carriers direction of movement, one of said arms being an elongated leaf spring and the other arm having an open pocket adapted in receive a plant;

a flexible member secured at its ends to said arms respectively and adapted to span and close the mouth of the pocket in one relative potionof I5 the 'arms to retain a plant placed in the pocket; and means in the path ofh the carriers movement for springing the inst-mentioned arm toward the pocket for closing the same and yieldingly holding said plant therein, said flexible member com; prising a flexible inner ligament and a flexible tube surrounding the same.

3. In a. planting machine: a carrier having a.l

circuitous movement; a plurality of plant-holders mounted in spaced relation on the carrier each plant holder comprising a pair of parallelly disposed arms extending at right angles to the carriers direction of movement, one of said arms being an elongated leaf spring and the other arm having an upwardly extending .side

portion provided with open vpoel-ret adapted to receive a plant, a laterally extending 'ange p0rtion below the pocket and dirt-discharging openings in the bottom of the holder; a exible member secured atA its ends to 'the mst-mentioned arm and to said ange respectively and adapted to span and close the mouth oi' the pocket in one relative position oi the arms to retain a plantv placed in the pocket; and means .in the path ot the carrers movement for springing the rstmentioned arm toward the pocket for closing the same and yieldinglv holding said plant. therein.

LOUIS POLL.

'BENJAMm POLL; v 15 

